SK Biopharm is bolstering its global drug development competitiveness by establishing a research and development (R&D) system with specialized expertise across various fields, from new drug candidate discovery to global clinical trials.
The company announced on Tuesday that it has positioned global experts to lead key research areas such as neuroscience and oncology. Additionally, it has secured medical doctors (MDs) for critical functions including clinical development, pharmacovigilance (PV), and medical affairs (MA) at its U.S. subsidiary, SK Life Sciences.
Notably, about 20% of the company’s key development and medical specialists are MDs, allowing SK Biopharm to incorporate real-world patient care and prescription experiences into the drug development process.
In a recent move, the company recruited Dr. Kim Tae-ho, a global neuroscience R&D expert, as Vice President and Global Head of Neuroscience. The existing central nervous system (CNS) research function has been restructured into a Neuroscience Division, now operating directly under the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Dr. Kim brings over two decades of experience in neuroscience drug research and development. During his 12-year tenure at Novartis, he oversaw neuroscience R&D, managing everything from drug discovery to preclinical and early clinical development, as well as portfolio strategy.
In his new role, Dr. Kim will oversee neuroscience research, translational studies, research strategy, and portfolio development. He will spearhead efforts to discover next-generation pipelines and foster open innovation and collaborative research both domestically and internationally.
In oncology, SK Biopharm is building specialized leadership, focusing on radiopharmaceuticals (RPT) and targeted protein degradation (TPD).
Dr. Shin Yong-je, who heads the RPT Center, is spearheading research to discover candidate substances and develop an in-house chelator platform. The company aims to secure a supply chain for radioactive isotopes and expand its pipeline to strengthen its position in the RPT field.
At SK Life Sciences Labs in the U.S., Dr. Ryan Krueger serves as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), leading TPD research. Leveraging his expertise in cancer biology and epigenetics, he is driving next-generation cancer drug research using targeted protein degradation technology.
For the development phase, a team of MD experts led by Dr. Sunita Misra, CMO and a pediatric neurologist and physician-scientist, oversees global clinical development.
The company recently welcomed Dr. Kim Soo-young (VP, Clinical Development) in July. Dr. Kim brings over 18 years of experience in oncology clinical trials and drug development from industry leaders like Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and AbbVie.
Currently, SK Biopharm has eight MDs in key roles, including the CMO and positions in CNS and oncology clinical development, PV, and MA. These professionals have honed their skills in clinical practice and drug development across various therapeutic areas, collaborating with global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, as well as renowned institutions like the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
By leveraging its MD personnel, SK Biopharm aims to address unmet medical needs and consider real-world treatment environments from the early stages of research, evaluating both clinical value and commercial potential.
In the CNS field, the company is currently conducting clinical development for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (PGTC), partial seizures, pediatric indications, and carisbamate. The oncology sector is advancing clinical development for the p300 and NTSR1·CA9 programs.
Building on its global R&D capabilities, SK Biopharm is actively implementing its East-West Bridge strategy. This approach involves discovering promising new drug candidates in Korea and other Asian regions, advancing them through preclinical and early clinical phases, and then connecting them to global clinical development. The company aims to leverage its expertise to nurture these candidates into globally recognized drugs.
Dong-hoon Lee, CEO of SK Biopharm, emphasized that creating a global drug goes beyond just discovering promising compounds. It needs to consider the therapeutic value for patients from the earliest stages of R&D. He highlighted that the collaboration between MDs with hands-on patient care experience and research experts strengthens the company’s R&D system, creating a seamless connection from research to clinical development and commercialization.
Concurrently, SK Biopharm is expanding into new modalities, with a focus on radiopharmaceuticals (RPT) and targeted protein degradation (TPD). The strategic importance of RPT is particularly significant, as it allows the company to capitalize on the SK Group’s infrastructure and raw material sourcing capabilities.
